Xavi stunner grabs Barca win

Barcelona left it late to secure all three points and maintain their unbeaten start to the season against Granada, with Xavi rising from the bench to put Tito Vilanova's side 1-0 after 85 minutes with a stunning strike.

Barcelona found it hard to break down their industrious opponents, and when the ball did fall kindly in the box the exceptional Tono was on hand in the Granada goal to keep his side in the game.

The Catalan club seemed out of sorts in the first half as they failed to carve many clear-cut chances, and a few glimpses of Lionel Messi magic aside, they appeared to be severely off the pace. David Villa, making his first start since his lengthy injury lay off, was on the receiving end of a strong telling off from Messi after the pair fluffed a decent opportunity.

The second half was much of the same, although Barcelona appeared sharper as the game progressed, with Cesc Fabregas seeing his effort superbly saved by Tono.

The stage was set for Xavi and the Spanish maestro didn't disappoint, slamming the ball home into the roof of the nest from inside the area with just five minutes to go, much to Vilanova's relief.

Minutes later and Borja Gomez turned the ball into his own net from Messi's shot to add some gloss to the scoreline, but Xavi's strike aside, Barcelona have plenty of work to do if they are to maintain their advantage over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Report author of article

DISCLAIMER

This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of
GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article.
GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.

Want more content like this?

Like our GiveMeSport Facebook Page and you will get this directly to you.